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Saskatchewan Lawyer News

Passport cancellation for any Canadian proven to have joined extremist groups

Posted Sep 20, 2014 on ottawacitizen.com

Several Canadians have had their passports invalidated by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) after it was proven that they have gone to Syria, Iraq and other volatile areas to join extremists groups.

This was confirmed by Chris Alexander, the minister for Citizenship and Immigration, who added that Canadians, who are still in the country but are proven to have intentions of travelling abroad to fight for extremist groups, will also get their passports cancelled.

The move is part of Canada and its allies' plans to hamper the international operations of extremist groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

With a revoked passport, Canadians fighting for extremist groups will be stuck in either Syria or Iraq as they will no longer be allowed to travel back to Canada. They could also not go anywhere else without a passport.

Although Canada may not be a major source of foreign fighters for extremist groups, the Canadian government has given the concern priority, with the RCMP and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service heading the matter.

The CIC, to which Passport Canada belongs, has been active in the operation by cancelling the passports but only after they received solid evidence.

Alexander said that the department can do so based on a regulation that allows an official to invalidate the passport of a Canadian if there is proof that their intention of travelling abroad is to participate in a criminal act.

A new citizenship law also gave the government authority to cancel the passports of dual citizens following a terrorism conviction.

This is well and good as aside from ensuring the country's security, the government is also making sure that Canada's name will not be tainted by the acts of these people.

Man convicted of child pornography, faces more charges

Posted Sep 18, 2014 on www.thestarphoenix.com

More charges have been filed against Justin Gryba, who was convicted and sentenced of charges related to child pornography last year.

This after the police was finally able to open his hard drive which had a military-grade encryption.

The new charges he is facing are making and possessing child pornography and voyeurism.

Gryba was a multi-awarded youth volunteer but things changed when a search in his home resulted to the discovery of pornographic materials as well as the hard drive, which police could not open at that time.

He pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing child pornography and was handed a less than two-year sentence.

However, the threat of more charges to be filed had always loomed for Gryba as the police had been working hard at breaking open his hard drive which they believed contained more pornographic images.

The hard drive was finally opened in July, prompting the new charges.

Saskatoon defence lawyer Morris Bodnar had said back then that the hard drive was difficult to access and that not even Gryba could open it.

Man admits to abducting and attacking woman he was supposed to marry

Posted Sep 16, 2014 on www.thestarphoenix.com

Clinton McLaughlin submitted a guilty plea to charges of aggravated assault and kidnapping of Mariana Cracogna, the woman he was formerly engaged to.

A maximum of 14-year sentence looms for McLaughlin while Saskatoon defence lawyer Mike Nolin is keeping mum on the number of years that he will be seeking for his client.

His sentencing will be on November 21.

This is not the first time that McLaughlin has been charged with such a crime.

In January, he was also charged with illegally detaining another woman and assaulting her with a coat hanger.

Assault nets young woman a conditional sentence

Posted Sep 10, 2014 on www.leaderpost.com

Rebecca Ness-Saxhaug received a conditional sentence of 10 months after admitting to a common assault charge.

Ness-Saxhaug was part of four people, who went to the house of the victim to try to make him issue an apology for posts he made on the social network, Facebook.

The victim had called one of the four attackers and her daughter hookers on Facebook which prompted the attack just outside the victim's home.

To escape the attack, the victim run inside his house and got tackled by Ness-Saxhaug.

Regina criminal lawyer Corinne Maeder, defending for Ness-Saxhaug, said that her client jumped the victim to prevent him from using a bear spray as his children were also present at that time.

Canada Lawyer News

Manufacturer knew Cold-FX wasn’t effective, says lawyer

John Green, a litigator in Vancouver, is alleging that Valeant Pharmaceuticals know that the Cold-FX was not much of a remedy for cold and flu but decided to withhold this vital information.

Green is spearheading a class action lawsuit against the manufacturer of Cold-FX which he filed in British Columbia and Saskatchewan, for falsely claiming that by taking it, one's immune system will be boosted therefore staving off an onset of cold or flu.

The lawyer has also alleged that research do not support the claims of the Cold-FX manufacturer.

The lawsuit, which was initially filed back in 2012, is now awaiting certification from the B.C. Supreme Court.

The lawsuit, however, has no claim amount. Green explained that this is because the lawsuit covers every box of Cold-FX sold under the false claim.

Should it be proven that indeed the Cold-FX does not relieve cold and flu and that its manufacturer lied about it, then Canadians could asked to be refunded for the boxes of Cold-FX they bought.

Lawyers of beating death suspect want him to stay in Calgary

The 19-year-old Rider has been accused of beating to death Christa Cachene last October and he is now facing second-degree murder charges.

Williamson told Judge Jim Ogle of the provincial court that having Rider in Edmonton is making it very hard to communicate with him especially for Calgary defence lawyer Balfour Der, who is acting as the lead counsel for his defence.

The lawyer added that they would have to meet with Rider several times which is why they need him to be in Calgary.

Judge Ogle said he will make the order, although he is hesitant about doing so and he wants to know first the impact of such move from remand officers.

Calgary defence lawyer says client was wrongly accused

Sandoval-Barillas is on trial for allegedly sexually assaulting a then 16-year-old girl October of 2013 close to the Rundle LRT station. He has also been accused of threatening her with a weapon.

Milczarek told the jury that the victim is accusing his client whom she did see at the LRT Station minutes before the assault happened.

The lawyer further added that because the victim was intoxicated, she had wrongly assumed that it was his client who had assaulted her but that it wasn't him and someone else.

However, the crown prosecutor has contradicted Milczarek's defense of his client and said that Sandoval-Barillas' claim that he had left the station a few minutes after the victim did to get a cab and not to follow and assault her, was not believable.

A video taken by surveillance cameras had the two taking a train at the Whitehorn station.

The case has been submitted to the jury for deliberation.

Man imprisoned for dangerous driving

Posted Jun 26, 2015 on www.edmontonsun.com

Brandon James Hudson was meted with a prison term of two years and seven months after admitting to dangerous driving causing bodily harm.

Hudson also pleaded guilty to hit and run, stealing a vehicle, not stopping at the scene of an accident, breaches and assault.

Four people were injured as a result of Hudson's antics.

The Edmonton resident, however, does not remember any detail of what he had done to have been slapped with the several charges as he had been too high on drugs at the time of the incident.

Despite the non-recall, Hudson gave a nod to all the facts presented to him and even apologized for what he had done.

Hudson will have a year and a half to serve his sentence after he was credited for time spent in custody while awaiting trial.

Frying pan death suspect mentally cleared to face trial

Posted Jun 26, 2015 on www.calgarysun.com

The trial for the 2012 death of Gatleak Thor Metkurjock will now proceed after the suspect has been declared as mentally fit to stand trial following a psychiatric assessment.

The suspect, who was 17 years old at the time of the incident, is facing second-degree murder charges for allegedly bashing Thor Metkurjock in the head with a frying pan.

At that time, Thor Metkurjock and the suspect was attending a house party. The victim had passed out drunk and was being brought out. He had woken up and was belligerent so the suspect allegedly got a frying pan and hit him with it.